The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the University of Miami and the U.S Air Force Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Teams (LAMAT) Mission 2026 is currently conducting a Mass Casualty Management (MCM) Training Programme at the Civil Defence Commission Headquarters.
The training programeme has brought together First Responders, including Doctors, Nurses, Police officers, Military ranks and representatives from the Civil Defence Commission.
U.S. Air Force Col. Theodore Liszeski said LAMAT is pleased to partner with the University of Miami to bring critical training to Guyana. He said the training will help First Responders to respond effectively to disasters, and provide care to those affected.
“So, we have the initial part, like if there was a natural disaster or like a flood or an oil spill or something like that, we need the initial first responders to be there on site. So, the training from the Miami University Team, will be first hands on type training,” he explained.
He said the First Responders will also be able to triage patients, stabilize those patients and deliver them safely to the hospital.
Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said the Mass Casualty Management Training Programme builds on the work currently being done by the 2026 Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Teams (LAMAT) Mission.
LAMAT is a health security cooperation engagement designed to strengthen partnerships, enhance medical readiness and improve access to care across the Caribbean.
“They have been coming in and working with our doctors at different facilities, and helping us to improve capacity, the types of surgeries that we are doing, and I think this year what we have seen is that they have added another component where they brought on board the University of Miami, and the University of Miami is now going to help us to train some of our professionals in the area of mass casualty response. And this is very important because you don’t know when these things can happen but when they happen, we need to be prepared,” Minister Anthony said.
He said the programme will see the transfer of knowledge, and will help to build a more responsive Health Care Sector.
“The University of Miami, they are bringing a lot of expertise because they have been doing this not just in the US but globally. And the LAMAT Team, they also have lots of experience from a different perspective, and when we can combine all of that, this is helping to transfer knowledge in a very accelerated way, and bringing a lot of experience, so we could benefit from this type of training,” Minister Anthony said.
The Health Minister said Guyana is pleased to partner with both LAMAT and the University of Miami.
The LAMAT mission, commenced on March 16, and will wrap up in Guyana on March 27.
During their time here, US military medical professionals are working alongside Guyanese healthcare providers to deliver patient care, conduct medical knowledge exchanges, and collaborate on best practices aimed at strengthening readiness and interoperability.
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